H.—ls

Attention may here be drawn to the one additional table (Table llb, p. 47) which it has been possible to include in this year's statistics. This table shows the total amounts of each kind of fish produced by (a) trawling, (b) Danish-seining, (c) other nets (viz., set-nets and seines or drag-nets, which, unfortunately, have not been differentiated in some of the returns received), and (d) line-fishing. The total fish caught by each method of fishing were as follows : —

It will be noted that the fish caught by lines, though 5-6 per cent, less by weight than the proportion caught by Danish-seining, is 3-4 per cent, higher in value. Of the total fish caught by line-fishing, groper (hapuku) represents 30-7 per cent., blue cod 29-0 per cent., and snapper 20-4 per cent. Ten other kinds of fish make up the remaining 19-9 per cent. The quantities of the different kinds or classes of fish constituting the grand total of all wet fish landed for the year, together with their values, are shown below in order of abundance :—

Exports. The figures obtained from the Customs Department are shown in detail in Table Y (p. 48). Exports of frozen fish have diminished in total quantity from 54,267 cwt. for the previous year to 50,727 cwt. for the year ended 31st March, 1937, but the total value shows an increase from £123,198 to £132,401. The change in both totals may be to some extent connected with the fact that there is an increasing tendency to ship fillets, especially of snapper, instead of whole fish for the Australian trade.

4—H. 15.

25

Quantity. Value. Method of Fishing. ; , Hundredweight. Percentage of Total. £ Percentage of Totftl. Trawl .. .. .. 127,711 35-2 120,422 33-4 Danish seine .. .. 114,909 31-6 96,255 26-7 Long-and hand-lines .. 94,478 26-0 108,665 30-1 Set-and drag-nets or seines 26,030 7-2 35,124 9-7 363,128 .. 360,466

Quantity. Value. Kind or Class of Fish. — Hundredweight. Percentage of Total. £ Percentage of Total. i Snapper .. .. 142,425 39-22 110,379 30-62 Tarakihi .. .. 53,114 14-63 • 51,492 14-29 " Mixed round fish" .. 32,792 9-03 25-322 7-02 Hapuku (groper) .. 31,673 8-72 46,120 12-79 Blue cod .. .. 27,403 7-55 34,415 9-55 Ling .. .. .. 12,723 3-50 9,334 2-59 Soles .. .. .. 11,971 3-30 19,404 5-38 Flounders .. .. 10,992 3-03 24,277 6-74 Gurnard . . . . 9,294 2-56 5,909 1 • 64 " Mixed fiat fish" .. 7,543 2-08 15,295 4-24 Red cod .. .. 4,082 1-12 2,317 0-64 Mullet .. .. .. 2,666 0-74 1,922 0-53 Elephant-fish .. .. 2,287 0-63 2,237 0-62 Moki .. .. .. 2,277 0-62 2,010 0-56 Hake .. .. .. 2,162 0-59 2,009 0-56 John-dory .. .. 2,158 0-59 1,953 0-54 Barracouta .. .. 1,873 0-52 695 0-19 Pioke .. .. .. 1,603 0-44 277 0-08 Warehou .. .. 1,546 0-42 1,321 0-37 Butterfish .. .. 1,504 0-42 2,585 0-72 Whiting .. .. 644 0-18 741 0-21 Trumpeter .. .. 396 0-11 452 0-12 Totals .. .. 363,128 .. 360,466